Students plan to raise $75,000
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

FEEL THE BEAT- Adolfo Camarillo High students keep step with African dancers at last year's HERO club fundraising kickoff. The club will enter its third year of fundraising to help feed African orphans by taking on their most ambitious effort yet, to raise $75,000 to provide three meals a day for a year to 500 orphans.

A student club at Adolfo Camarillo High School is breaking the stereotype that all teenagers are self-absorbed.

Today, members of the altruistic HERO club kick off their year-long effort to raise money to feed hundreds of destitute African children. For $150, a child can be fed three meals a day for a year. The club wants to feed 500 children and so must raise $75,000.

HERO day is to begin at noon on the high school campus. The club will sell T-shirts and food and has scheduled African dancers for entertainment.

The club is part of a United Nations relief program known as HERO, Help Educate At-Risk Orphans.

The teens say they felt impelled to act after learning about the dire living conditions many African children are faced with everyday.

Alana Dowden, 17, said she was moved after learning about young children orphaned when their parents died of AIDS and who must work in factories to support their younger siblings.

"We live in a world community; we should care and know what's going on in the world," she said. "It's unimaginable how these children are forced to live."

Michelle Bogen, also 17, said living a privileged life in Camarillo makes her want to help the less fortunate. It doesn't matter that she will likely never meet the children who benefit from her efforts, she said.

"I feel that you should help everyone no matter if you're going to see them . . . no matter where they live," Michelle said.

And Scott Kamino said that because he relies so heavily on his parents he can't imagine the lifeordeath struggles these orphans face without their parents.

"It's something that's really hard to comprehend, especially living in Camarillo," said Scott, also 17.

The club began raising money for the HERO program two years ago after English teacher Rita Neumeister learned about the program, which gives 100 percent of the donations to the cause.

Since then, HERO club members have raised more than $25,000; money that has fed 350 orphans, purchased school supplies for 750 children, built a first-aid station for a school and security fence to protect children from wild animals and stocked a school library with more than 1,000 books.

Last year alone, the teenagers raised $10,000 to buy a water system for an Ethiopian school.

As the club enters its third year, the students are undertaking their most ambitious effort yet: to raise by the end of the school year more than twice the amount they raised in two years.

Neumeister said she's amazed by these "astonishing students with hearts the size of the universe.

"The community deserves a chance to hear about such wonderful young adults," she added.

People who want to contribute to the student's fundraising efforts can call Rita Neumeister at Adolfo Camarillo High School, (805) 389-6407, ext. 1234.